All the Unloved
by Rubygirl283
Summary: "For every success, there are at least two failures. It's our time to prove that we're good enough to be a success." The UTAU and unpopular Vocaloids join forces - and it's an all out war.
1. Having Dinner

Summary: "With every success, there are at least two failures. It's our time to prove that we're good enough to be a success." The UTUA and unpopular Vocaloids join forces - and it's an all out war.

Rated: T for language and violence.

Disclaimer: **I OWN NONE OF THE UTUAS AND NONE OF THE VOCALOIDS. DON'T HATE, APPRECIATE.**

Author's Note: This is, like, my fourth long series on here. I really need to get smaller ideas! ;(

0o0o0o0o0

Hiyama-sensei sat at his dining room table, staring down at his food. He missed his class. The big bosses at Crypton and Yamaha had determined that it was not appropriate for Yuuki or him to be a part of public like that.

_It doesn't matter anyway. Ever since I was brought into this world to sing, all I've wanted to do is teach; that's what I've been left to do. _He brought his hand down on the table. His brown hair skewed everywhere. _I'm not popular enough to have songs written for me, and I'm not outcast enough to be with my class!_ He took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he wondered what they were doing, if they liked their new teacher.

Suddenly, he got up and threw open the cupboard. He ripped open a package of fudge and bit into it angrily. He was swallowing his first bite when the phone rang. Never before had he wanted to hit the phone. Hiyama-sensei yanked the phone off of it's station on the wall and growled, "What?"

"Hi to you, too." He recognized the voice as the infamous cross-dresser among the Fan Mades - Ritsu Namine.

"Sorry, Ritsu. It's been a long day."

"Really? Well, I guess you're not too busy to come over for something. I'll just call you later and see what's-"

"I've not been busy. It's the exact opposite - today, I did virtually _nothing._"

"That sucks. I haven't done anything in about a month. But that's what the meeting's about, anyway. It's at seven. You've got half an hour. Get ready, it'll be over at my apartment."

"This better be a real meeting and not some ruse to rape me."

"Please. You know you love me."

_Click._

Hiyama-sensei sighed. This was either going to be a very pleasurable night, or a night ending in emotional trauma. And he wasn't honestly sure which option - rape or a meeting on not being popular with the other Fan Mades - would produce which conclusion.

0o0o0o0o0

"Glad you could make it, Hiyama-sensei." Ritsu stood, holding the door open for Hiyama-sensei. He entered cautiously, taking off his shoes at the door. "There are refreshments in the kitchen if you want any."

"Oh, no thank you. I already ate." _About three bites of fudge, that is._

"Fine enough. Come on in to the living room, then, and we'll get started."


	2. Meeting Part One

Author's Notes: Woo hoo! I hope this is really big! ^^ Thanks for all who support Hiyama-sensei and I! ;P

I was listening to Billy Joel while I wrote this, and just as the meeting starts, For the Longest Time came on. It reminded me of Leon. ^^ I love Leon. I wish they had his version of For the Longest Time available for use of iPod. . God, iTunes.

0o0o0o0o0

Hiyama-sensei had to stop for a moment at the amount of people Ritsu had managed to stuff in his living room. Some he didn't even know, but some were extremely popular for Fan Mades, like Teto and Ruko, that he believed shouldn't even be here. The English Vocaloids were also there, including Leon, Lola, Miriam, and, was it Tonio? Then, there were the less popular Japanese Vocaloids as well, including Miki and one of the newer releases, Lily. Everyone was chatting away happily. Hiyama-sensei wasn't sure whether he was supposed to speak Japanese or English with the diversity going on here.

"Go ahead and take a seat, and we'll get the show on the roll."

"Ritsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we supposed to speak Japanese or English?"

"Japanese. It's singing that the English Officials stink at in Japanese. It's not a part of their system. But it doesn't restrict them from speaking it."

"Huh." And with that final word, Hiyama-sensei took a seat next to Lily on a stool and stared intently at Ritsu standing by the mantle.

Speaking in a high-pitched voice that sounded quite like a woman, Ritsu began by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like the start out the evening by saying something important." Ritsu switched to his real voice. "I'm a man." Those who knew laughed; this joke had been done many times.

Lily beside him choked on her drink. Hiyama chuckled and asked her, "Are you alright?"

She coughed out, "I wasn't expecting that."

"Yeah, it's pretty shocking the first time."

"How did you know?"

"Well, first, I've been out longer than you, and second, well..." Hiyama chuckled. "We actually had a fling going for a while. But he used his woman voice. And, so, when we finally got down to the nitty-gritty..." Hiyama chuckled nervously.

"Ah. I'm just wondering... how does he make them look so realistic?" Lily tossed the golden hair from her face.

"They're actually missiles."

"Missiles?"

Ritsu began speaking again. "Yes, I know it's realistic, but just trust me. I'm a guy." A few of the older Vocaloids and the Fan Mades began laughing again. "Hey, don't laugh. You all fell for it, too." That silenced the room quickly.

"Now, on to what we're here for. If you'll notice, some of you aren't really familiar with the other members of this group. That would be because we're all something that was dreamed up to be a part of Vocaloid by the wrong person, or that we were dreamed up to be a part of Vocaloid, but were never marketed correctly, and were never given a chance to be someone great. They were shoes sold, but never shined." Ritsu looked around the room intensely. Hiyama was glad that he had come.

"Get to the point!" Kikaito's deep voice penetrated the dramatic pause. Hiyama couldn't see him through the mob of people, but recognized the voice. He was sure that when they all filed out, he would see the bright yellow hair and scarf that described him.

"I was about to." Ritsu fingered some of his silky red hair, twirling it around his index digit, leaning against the mantle and smiling devilishly. "For every success, there are at least two failures. It's our time to prove that we're good enough to be a success!" Ritsu brought his hand down on the mantle when he heard a few giggles. "Yeah, I know, it's been discussed before. But this time, we aren't going to be so soft. Or, at least, _I'm_ not going to be so soft, like your other ding-bat leaders. It's going to be that we're going to get a chance at the spotlight, or by God, it's war!"

Suddenly, Ruko stood up. She was a hermaphrodite who could do the same thing as Ritsu with her voice, but she preferred to be referred to as a woman. She refused to get surgery, because then there would be another Fan Made to genderbend her. And why set another to the same boring existence that Hiyama and everyone else in this room were set to? "I find this highly offensive. This is the first time I've ever been invited to one of these meetings, and I refuse to take part in this. I'm fairly popular with the fans, at least I have a known face, unlike Sunshine over here." She glared over to Kikaito, who must have been bugging her. "I'm fine enough with my social status among our friends at Vocaloid, and I suggest that anyone else who doesn't want to be loathed by Vocaloid's entire fanbase will follow my actions and excuse themselves." With that, Ruko left.

Several others stood up, including Haku, muttering something about how she was perfectly fine with drinking sake all day, Teto, who said that this was as cruel as her April Fools Day joke, Prima, who stuck her nose in the air, saying that she was actually very popular and begged to differ, and Mikuo, who said nothing and his expressions displayed nothing about why he decided to leave. Honne Dell said that he was leaving to smoke and would be back in a few minutes. At this, Ritsu declared a ten minute break. He pulled Hiyama over.

"What do you think?"

"It's a good idea, but..."

His face sunk. "But what?"

"But... I think what Ruko said about the fanbase is right."

"What? You believe that twit? All it said was that the fanbase will hate us. But there is no such thing as bad publicity."

"Um, yeah, there is."

"Look, if we make the news, then finally, fans will realize that we're here. And those who don't hate us will know that we're available for use. Y'know. 'Wink, wink.'"

Ritsu was right, but the only question was, _Who _won't_ hate us? _Hiyama felt a touch on his shoulder, and turning, he saw Lily standing with two drinks in her hand, the necks of the glasses held delicately between the fingers in one hand while the other had reached out to tap him.

"Oh, hey."

"Here, this is for you." She handed him one of the glasses, and he stared down into it at the alchohol, remembering the last time he had alchohol. After that, he had sworn to only one at the holidays. But, having recieved it from someone as beautiful as Lily, the school teacher took a drink.

"Thanks. Hey... why didn't you leave, too?"

"What do you mean?" She seemed generally confused.

"I mean, you're just new, not unpopular. I've been out for almost a year, but you've been out for, maybe three months?"

"People claim that my voice is hard to use. Hearing that, none of the fanbase want to buy my products and write me songs. But with practice, my voice is actually pretty easy to work with."

"Oh."

"How about you?"

"There are about five original songs that were written for me. Everything else is just covering other songs. I don't think that makes me popular."

Lily nodded knowingly. "You're right, it doesn't. It makes you just as good as a Fan Made. But that's all people will ever see you as. You're right to stay with this."

"Good. I don't feel like being regarded as an ass, you know?"

"Meh, neither do I. So," Lily raised her glass. "To those who do not feel like being regarded as an ass."

Both chuckled and clinked their glasses together. It was when Hiyama looked away for a second that he saw Yuki sitting on the couch, all alone, being the smallest person here. He turned to see Lily smiling at him.

"Go ahead. I don't care. Just make sure she doesn't drink any of the alchohol."

Hiyama nodded. Turning, he noticed that Yuki had a glass in her hand with a liquid the same color that was in his own glass. _God damn you, Ritsu._ He sat down next to Yuki, and she turned her head and smiled at him.

"Hey, Hiyama-sensei!"

"Hey, Yuki. How have you been?"

"I've been okay. School was boring, but without it, there's never anything to do."

Hiyama looked down at the glass in her hands. It was half full, with rings of foam from where she had taken drinks. "Say, do you like that?" He nodded to her drink.

"Not really. You want it?"

"Yeah, sure." Gratefully, he took the glass away from Yuki and set it on a coaster on the coffee table. "You glad you came?"

"Yep!" She smiled cutely. Yuki was such a cute little girl. Hiyama resented that he couldn't have any children. He missed their presence in his life. He missed his class. "People are gonna write songs for me!"

"Yep." Hiyama smiled back, but not quite as cutely. "People will start writing songs for me, too. And maybe they'll start writing duets for us, and we'll get to hang out again."

"Yeah, that'll be really nice. Hey, why did we have to sing Magnet? I mean, you're nice and all, but I think that guys are icky. Was that what they meant by a forbidden love?"

"Um, it's nothing, Yuki!" Hiyama blushed. "We had to sing that because that's what the fanbase wanted to hear us sing. They thought that our voices sound good together, that's it!"

"Oh, alright." Yuki stared down at the glass that was now on the coffee table. "You think I can have one more sip of that?"

"I think you've had enough, Yuki. But I can get you some soda if you want."

"Oh, okay."


	3. Meeting Part Two

Author's Note: I have noted the suggestion on Voyakiloids. :) They'll be in there.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seated with Lily on his left, twirling her hair, and Yuki on his right, sipping some cola, Hiyama heard Ritsu yell, "Okay, people, back to your seats. Break's over." People mumbled and did as he said, but nothing was said out loud, not even from Kikaito.

"Okay, now, let's review. First, we laughed at how you thought I was a girl." There were a few chuckles. "Then, I said that we would be forcing the Populars out of the spotlight, one way or another." A few murmurs. "And finally, those who wanted no part in this left. Those who left were," Ritsu pulled out a clipboard and ran off ten or twelve names. "Then we had break. Now, are there any questions?"

A few people shifted uncomfortably, some whispering buzzed around the room, and finally, Ted Kasane stuck his hand in the air. _I wonder why Ted didn't leave?_ Hiyama wondered.

"Yes, Ted?"

"Yeah, um, how exactly do you plan going about this?"

Ritsu shifted his weight from the foot facing away from the mantle and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Well, we'll notify Miku and all the other Populars first, saying that they need to step away from the spotlight and advertise us for a while. And if that doesn't work, we'll send for Yamaha, and demand that they advertise us better. If both options fail, which I'm predicting they will, since letters and phone calls never seem like anything but bluffs, we'll start with our own advertising and public announcements, revealing the dirty little secrets a certain underling may be keeping about some of the Populars."

"And who would that be?" Kikaito shot the question out skeptically.

"_Moi_, dear Kikaito."

"And tell me what happens when the well of secrets runs dry?"

"We find out more. Get some spies. All the while, people everywhere will be learning of our existence, writing songs for us."

"What if we can't find any more?"

"We make it up. We'll be magicians."

This shocked Hiyama. Ritsu would be someone to lie to your face. But lying to an entire fanbase? "We're going to lie to a lot of people. What happens when someone denies the claims?"

"They always do. That's how celebrity battles always end up. Someone tells something so ridiculous that everyone has no choice but to believe it. The lied-about will deny the claim, because, obviously, it's not true. But because it always happens, it's not very credible. So, if we drop a lie about the Populars, and they deny it, it only makes them more guilty."

"But, Ritsu -"

"But, nothing, Hiyama-sensei! This is going to work, one way or another."

Lily suddenly exclaimed, "No, Hiyama-sensei is correct!" Suddenly, all eyes were on her. "Besides, if we start dropping lies about the Populars, who's to say they won't start dropping lies about us?"

There was silence. Kikaito said after a few moments, "You're right. What happens then, Ritsu?"

"Then we deny." He stared Kikaito squarely in the face. "We claimed first, and the media won't believe the lies. We'll be more credible still if they start making things up about us. We'll be like the victims. Which we are. We're victims of bad advertising. We weren't even given a chance."

Kikaito again: "What if the public _does_ start hating us, like what Ruko said?"

"I've been over this with Hiyama-sensei. There is no bad publicity. Those who don't hate us, if any hate us, will know that we're available voices. They'll know who we are. And they'll start writing songs for us. We're going to win, no matter the door we choose."

Everyone thought this over, and finally, Kikaito said, "Fine."

"Good. Now, are there any more questions?"

Outside, a few birds chirped in the dying light. Obviously, everything was cleared up. Hiyama certainly had nothing else to say. The meeting was adjourned, and Hiyama went home, cradling the thought that he would be popular gently in his mind.


	4. Fashionably Late

Author's Note: I had my first Monster today (lo-carb, of course, being a diabetic). I am now jamming to Butterfly of the Right Shoulder. ... I had the Monster at about three. It's almost eight now. A WOOOOO! GO MONSTER!

0o0o0o0o0o0

Two weeks had passed, and Hiyama had grown anxious that Ritsu wasn't going to do anything. It was much like that first night when Ritsu called again.

"Hello?"

"Seven again."

_Click._

"..."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Okay, people, settle down. For our second meeting, I'd like to read out the letter I'm going to send out to all the Populars. All of you Fan Mades and Unpopulars are here to tell me what we need to change, what needs to get thrown out, and what needs to go in. Any questions before we begin?"

Kikaito shouted out, "Why'd it take you two weeks to write it?"

Ritsu glared at him. Hiyama strained to see Kikaito's reaction from his seat next to Lily.

"It took me two weeks because I was planning on some advertisements with our dear friend Leon. He handled the English public, I handled the Japanese public. We know that the Populars will deny. Why not be quick to strike?"

"Fine then. Read out what you have."

To Hiyama's disgust, Ritsu pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, straightened it by rubbing it on the mantle side, and began reading.

"Dear," He waved his hand in a random gesture, "Popular Vocaloid, et cetera, et cetera. I know that it is shocking to hear from a Fan Made, but I will assure you that this is all business and not a ruse to become friends with you. However, both instances would be of the same motive. I, Namine Ritsu, representing the Fan Mades and Unpopulars of Vocaloid, would like to ask you, from one professional to the next, to step down from the spotlight and help us advertise ourselves.

"Yes, I know, this is entirely farfetched, but if you don't help us, it will only make a worse image for yourselves. We will climb up this social ladder one way or another. Our next step will be to go to the big boss at Yamaha and Crypton to demand we be marketed correctly. If that doesn't work, we will begin launching advertisements of ourselves, among other things."

Hiyama cut in: "We shouldn't tell them that we'll start advertising. The element of surprise is vital in this."

Ristu looked him over, then took his pencil and scratched out a few lines of writing. "Thank you, Hiyama-sensei. Now, I'll continue.

"Do not take this as a blackmail. We are not threatening you. We just want your help. It will make you look better in the eyes of the public. They will see you as helping the unfortunate - which, it seems, would just make us look like degenerates shoved in the corner of this company.

"We will be popular one day, and we'd like to have you standing right beside us. Sincerely, Namine Ritsu."

Kikaito piped up, "If you think they'll reject, why even try the letter?"

"It's like a proclamation of war, I suppose. And it's giving them a fair chance to help us that they will obviously deny."

Lily raised her hand.

"Yes, Lily?"

"I believe we need to give them specific things they can do to help advertise us."

Ritsu's eyes shined. "Yes, like what?"

"Like suggesting we be put in their music videos?"

"Yes, that works. Anyone else have any good ideas?" He scribbled down some words on the letter.

Several people raised hands. But before anyone could answer any questions, a man in a dark shirt, and red jacket burst into the apartment without asking. Hiyama, among other people, jumped up, thinking he may be a burgler, but he waved his hand for them to sit down.

Ritsu looked like he could have hit this man. "Rook! You're always late!"

Rook ignored him and sat down on the floor in front of the couch. "What're we talking about?"

"If you were here the last meeting and on time for this meeting, you'd know!"

"Please, don't get on my ass. You're seven. I'm, what? Twenty or so? I don't really take count. But I obviously have some authority over you."

Ritsu's face was getting red, and he looked like he would explode in a few moments. "Well, next time you're late, please don't just burst in. Knock, for God's sake!"

"Whatever you say, sarge." Rook looked around with a bored expression. Like he did with everyone else, he glanced at Hiyama's face for a single glistening moment, then looked away. He was tanned, obviously a Japanese Fan Made since he spoke fluently, had black hair with a thick streak of bright red blossoming in his bangs.

"Hiyama-sensei, would you mind explaining things to Rook?" Ritsu had calmed down a bit, but was still red.

"No problem." Hiyama stood up and moved over to Rook, who was getting up slowly with help from the couch. Once he was up, they moved to the kitchen.

Rook turned to face Hiyama while leaning on the counter. "So, Teach, what's up?"

Hiyama leered at the man. "You may be twenty, but you have the mind of a five year old."

Rook stared him straight in the face. "Yeah, so? Tell me something I don't know, will ya, Teach?"

"If you haven't noticed, everyone out there are either Fan Mades or Unpopulars. We're going to fight the Populars. We start with a letter to the Populars, which we are editing right now. Everyone is suggesting how the Populars can help us out."

"The Populars won't help us. They're too far up their own asses to care about us."

"Exactly. But this way, they won't say that we didn't give them a fair chance. We'll try Crypton and Yamaha, too, but they'll deny as well."

"What do we do after that?"

"Leon launches ads for the English fanbase, Ritsu launches ads for the Japanese fanbase, and I suppose all of the other continents' ads will be handled by Fan Mades who can speak the language."

"And after that?"

"We start attacking the Populars. Apparently, Ritsu has some dirt on them. Or someone."

"Huh." Rook stared down at the ground, then back up at Hiyama. His irises were a bright red. "Well, Ritsu's about to solve all of our problems. Why aren't there more Fan Mades out there?"

"Some left yesterday that considered themselves too popular or fine with their status. Ruko was the first."

"Ruko's a sweetheart when he... she... um... wants to be. Now let's get out there."

"Awesome."


	5. Commercials

Author's Note: Ughh... been totally brain dead for a while now. o_o Now I have to go and update the five different fanfics on here that are long-running. Oh goody. Oh, yeah, I made fanart on my Deviantart page if y'all wanna go and see that. It sucks though. XD I'm Rubygirl282 on Deviantart. :D I'll probably make more art about it, and hopefully, it won't suck as much, but, meh... y'never know. Just enjoy.

PS: I was looking on the UTAU wikia today, and discovered that there is a Japanese UTAU named Buttnose. Just Buttnose. No last name. ... I am extremely disturbed my my needing to put her in here.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Upon entering the living room again, one of the Korean Fan Mades was talking to Ritsu about the Korean commercials. He had dark red hair, a white headband, and some weird looking clothes. There was a white shirt that was unbuttoned at the bottom, showing his stomach, a red tie with a bass clef on it, and a gray jacket that hung down over top of his hands, even though it was half-way down his torso. Not to mention he wore dark skinny jeans and a dog collar. It made Hiyama feel a bit intimidated.

"So, I was thinking of something that hit home for the Koreans. Telling them that the message we've been sent is, '_Korea, you're not good enough.' _Surely that'll get them talking."

Silently, Hiyama and Rook found their seats, and watched as there was talk about how to go about this. The boy who was talking was named Shou Kaneyama. He was one of the voicebanks from Korea who actually spoke Korean. He was actually quite nice, and Hiyama decided that when the whole thing was over, he'd want Kaneyama to be one of his close associates. Ritsu began talking to Kaneyama about their ideas.

In the end, they decided that Korea wouldn't have the patriotic commercial, but would instead have one about how Meiko took the journal Hana Kyou is writing in all the time and destroyed it, along with several other personal items and a beating. Kyou was so traumatized, she refused to speak or sing for several months, even after the bruises had faded. Hiyama looked over at the fifteen-year-old and saw how she held herself after they decided that she would be the subject of the first commercials. She hadn't been the one to suggest it, but instead, Shin Chou, her genderbend, asked that it be considered.

For China, Aiko Kikyuune was put in charge, considering she was learning the language, as well as Latin, German, and French. Hiyama thought that if he ever tried something like that, his systems would crash before he got five words in. But Aiko seemed determined enough.

In Europe and America, Leon was put in charge. He was the only Engloid that seemed to be nice to the Fan Mades. All of the others seemed to have their heads stuck in their asses, in the curt terms Ritsu put it to later on. Leon got to do the patriotic commercial, because he'd told everyone that America was really into tooting their own horn, and hearing all of this, they'd want to support. Most had agreed. Especially Skittles, a bilingual Fan Made.

For Japan, Hiyama was put in charge. He didn't really want to, but Ritsu practically threw it upon him, so he was forced to come up with something. He decided he'd have an image of Yuki being bullied in school, and saying that this kind of thing was what was happening to the Unpopulars and Fan Mades. It would touch the heartstrings, and he would be allowed to start coming up with a script as soon as they'd received their denials.

That was the end of the meeting, and Hiyama went home, exhausted somehow. On the way home, he'd turned on the radio, only to be greeted by the high-pitched "_Po-pi-po, po-po-po-pi-po_" of Miku's most annoying song. He turned it off with a sigh and pulled into his garage. Looking up, he noticed someone standing on the porch.


	6. Buttnose

Author's Note: Ugh. Writer's block. It gets to even the best of us. Stephen King had a case that lasted a few months while he was writing _The Stand_. So, please, I apologize for not updating in a while! Writer's block makes me want to hit my head against a wall... UGH!

0o0o0o0o0o0

_Are those... cat ears?_ Hiyama squinted his eyes as he pulled into his garage, trying to get a better look at the woman on his porch, who continued to ring the doorbell, even though she had glanced over to see that Hiyama was, in fact, just getting home.

_Goddammit, she's going to break my doorbell._ The engine shut off, and Hiyama stomped to the drive way. "What the hell are you doing?"

The woman turned around again, but this time, Hiyama realized that she was wearing a mask. If it weren't for the mask, he would have said that she was beautiful, seeing that the rest of her seemed slender and fragile. Her hair was a dark green, and she had cat ears peeping out from the stop of her mask. When she spoke, her voice was muffled by the mask.

"I saw some people who were going door to door doing this."

"Are you going door to door? Because I'm not interested in anything you have to sell."

"Oh, no. I'm just wondering why I wasn't invited to all of those meetings you had. You know... about getting popular and stuff?"

"You need to talk to Ritsu."

"I did. She said that I needed to talk to you."

"He. Ritsu is a boy." _And he just passed the responsibility of answering to her along to me._

"HOLY CRAP REALLY!" It seemed so odd that she was freaking out, but you couldn't see her reaction because she had on her mask.

Hiyama sighed. "Yup. Come on, you might as well come in."

"Okay."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hiyama learned that the woman's name was Buttnose. When he had asked her if she wanted anything to drink, she had refused politely.

They were now sitting on the couch, talking over everything that was decided.

"Do you know any English?"

Buttnose sat for a while, her mask remaining the same, but eventually, when she had thought of what she knew, she spoke.

"Hello. God dammit, bitch, why don't you just go away already! I said it was over!"

Hiyama, knowing perfectly well what she just said, sat with his mouth open. "Where did you learn that?"

"Well, 'hello' was a part of a free trial on some software, and my English boyfriend always tells me 'god dammit, bitch, why don't you just go away already, I said it was over,' all the time, so I figure that must be how you say 'I love you, Buttnose.'"

"Um... no, not at all."

Buttnose tilted her head to the side. "Oh? What does it mean?"

"Um... I'll tell you later."

"Oh. Alright."

"So, I'll tell Ritsu that the next time he has a meeting, that you'll be on the call list. What's your phone number?"

Buttnose giggled. "You do know that I'm taken."

Hiyama sighed. "Not like that, Buttnose."

"Oh. Okay." She wrote down on a piece of paper, then handed it to Hiyama. He noticed that she had put a little heart beside it. Hiyama foled it and stuck it in his pocket.

"Well, I'll see you at our next meeting."

"Okey-dokey, then!" Buttnose then flung herself up, off of the couch, and didn't wait to be shown to the door to exit.

Standing in the now empty house, Hiyama stared at the space where Buttnose had just been.

"That is a very, very strange girl."


	7. Duet?

Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY. I haven't been on in... FOREVER. Lemme just turn up dis here Piko Just Be Friends, do a little groove here in my chair, crack my fingers, AND GET TO IT!

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hiyama grabbed the phone and dialed Ritsu's number.

"Hello?"

"Ritsu, goddammit, why did you just send someone over about _your_ meetings? It's your responsibility! Take care of things yourself!"

"Well geez, sorry that I thought you were a part of this, too!"

"Did you have _any_ idea how weird that girl was?"

"No, not really, not after a five minute conversation."

"She has an English boyfriend that tells her 'God dammit, bitch, why don't you just go away already! I said it was over!'"

Silence. Then, Ritsu went, "Um, should we do something about that? Like, tell her what it means? Or does she know already and is in denial?"

Hiyama sighed. "I'll tell her later. Have you recieved anything yet?"

Ritsu snorted. "It's been, what, 30 minutes since our meeting? I haven't even mailed the letter yet."

"Alright then. Here's Buttnose's number, for our next meeting." He ran off the number to Ritsu, and Ritsu write it down.

"You can go ahead and work on your script, you know."

"I might."

"You should. An early start is best."

"You said that we had to start when the denials came in."

"Yeah. But we already know we're going to be denied. Why not just start?"

"Whatever. If I'm not busy-"

"Hiyama-sensei, you're _never_ busy."

"... As I was saying, if I'm not busy, I might start."

"Good."

"I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah."

Hiyama silently put the phone back on the hook and trudged silently to his bedroom, where he checked his phone for messages. There was one.

"Hey, Hiyama-sensei. We were hoping that you could come in some time this week to record a song with some other Vocaloids. You'll get music once you get in. Call me back, this is Peperon. 'Kay?" BLEEEEP.

"No more new messages."

Hiyama grunted as he plopped down on the bed.

Peperon-P-sama was who he worked with on Guilty Verse, one of his biggest hits. He missed his company, seeing as he was one of the best out there. Unfortunately, he wasn't well known, either, but that was part of the reason why they got along so well - they didn't have to keep up any facade of liking or disliking each other.

Hiyama picked up the phone once again, dialed Peperon, and waited for him to pick up.

"Hai? Peperon-desu."

"Peperon-sama, this is Hiyama."

"Ah! Hiyama-sensei! Did you get my message?"

"Yes, I did. What time did you want me to come in?"

"As soon as you can, of course!"

"So... how about tomorrow morning?"

"Absolutely! Come in at nine."

"Can you tell me more about the piece?"

"Well, it's a duet."

"With who?"

"You're going to love this Hiyama! But it's a surprise. You'll see who it is when you get in tomorrow."

Hiyama sighed and said, "Alright. I'll see you then."

"Right."

After he hung up, Hiyama hung around his kitchen for the rest of the day, doing nothing. He didn't sleep well that night, either.


	8. Spoiled Brat

Author's Note: GOD I WANT TO WRITE THIS SO BADLY. THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME.

So... instead of making you suffer... I guess I'll just go ahead and write the chapter. D:

0o0o0o0o0o0

That morning, nine o'clock, Hiyama was waiting in the lobby of Peperon-P-sama's recording studio. He had been handed the music and was looking over what was being sung, although he actually didn't have to memorize lyrics or look at the musical notes. He just had to be programmed to sing what he was supposed to sing, and from there, Peperon fine-tuned him until it was perfect. Peperon-sama preferred to have you look over the song beforehand.

It hadn't said who was singing with him on the page. Looking at the notes, though, he could definitely tell that he would be singing with a female. It was way too high for any male voice to come out nicely.

Just then, the little bell attached to the door rang, and he looked up to see the most popular Vocaloid standing there, giggling with some joke the boy she was with had just pulled. He inwardly groaned. He secretly hoped that Ritsu hadn't sent out that letter yet.

At that moment, she looked down, pulled off her sunglasses, and said, "Well, you're dressed up, aren't you, Hiyama-sensei? It's just the first run-through."

Miku stood in a plain white t-shirt and cut-off jeans. She held a bottle of Coca-Cola - the kind in a glass bottle that was way more expensive than regular cola.

Hiyama looked down at his dress shirt and khakis, then looked back up, laughing nervously. "This is casual for me, actually."

Without a care, she waved her hand, put her sunglasses back on (Hiyama supposed to just look cool), and said, "Oh, yeah, that's right. Suit and tie, blah blah blah - say, where's Peperon-sama?"

"Ah! Miku-san! In here!" Peperon called from the other room. He appeared, in a t-shirt as well, and moved towards Miku to hug her tightly, for one second, then disappearing as quickly as he had appeared. He called from his room, "Miku-san, I must ask that your boyfriend leave."

She whined loudly, "Ahhhh~! Peperon-sama, why must he leave? He won't cause a distraction!"

"I promise I will behave well, Peperon-sama!" The man bowed, although there was no one to bow to.

"You won't do anything?"

"No, Peperon-sama!"

"Good. Then you can be my second opinion. Miku-san, please come here and recieve your music."

Hiyama sat there, fuming over the fact that Miku got special treatment. Her boyfriend, whom she'd likely just happened to notice and brought along, got to stay with her. The first time he'd come in, Hiyama was scolded for bringing along Yuki. Harshly. Yuki was forced to leave.

And next, Miku had basically just told him that he wasn't capable of casual clothes, and had just waved him away, as if he were just another rung on the ladder of her success. And, right now, he was. But she would soon be underneath _his_ feet for a change - he would be the one coming out on top for once.

And finally, she had shown up a little late. When Hiyama had shown up almost-late, he had been scolded at that time as well. However, this spoiled brat strolls into the recording studio five _whole_ minutes late, with a Coca-Cola, and a boyfriend, and Peperon-sama is oh so glad to see her!

He glared into the carpet while Miku sat down next to him on the sofa, reading over the music, totally oblivious to the fact that she should be thrown under the bus like the trash she was. Her fake tan glowed orange in the dim light.


	9. Phone Call

The smell of the recording room was bitter and woody, but Hiyama was used to it. Although he had been in there only on several occasions, that were few and far between, he had grown accustomed to the scent. He loved it with all of his heart, and would live here if possible, but he couldn't. He was called in so few times. However, the twit that stood beside him, Miku, crinkled her nose.

"Ugh! Peperon-sama, why does it always smell so bad in here?"

"I don't smell anything, Miku-san. Get over it." Peperon was a young man, at oldest, 25. He had light skin, and dark eyes. At the moment, his eyebrows were twisted in aggravation. "Now, come here, both of you."

Holding up two different jump-drives, Peperon urged the two forward. One jump-drive was a dark brown, and the image of a blue tie was printed on the front, along with white cursive reading _Hiyama-sensei. _The other was a blue-green color, with the image of a leek printed on the front, with green cursive reading _Miku-san._ Both were made by Peperon, and both contained the exact music they would be singing to in just a few moments.

The first time Hiyama had to sing a song made by a Producer, he squirmed when the jump-drive was inserted into a neatly-concealed USB port on his stomach. This time, he was comfortable with it. Peperon plugged his jump-drive in first, and he felt the surge of music into his mind, and realized he was just singing mostly harmony. As the jump-drive was taken out neatly, he felt of sting of envy, seeing as he never really got much melody, and Peperon was usually into the less-popular Vocaloids. But watching Miku, his envy increased.

"Miku-san, I'll take your Coca-Cola, and then we can get started recording. Is that alright with you?"

"Oh, yes, that's fine."

"You didn't ask me if it was fine with me..." Hiyama grumbled under his breath.

Both Peperon and Miku turned to face him. Miku's boyfriend sat with a dumb expression on his face in the mixing station, totally unknowing.

"What was that, Hiyama-sensei?" Miku asked innocently.

Hiyama looked down at his shoes, cleared his throat, and simply stated, "Nothing."

Both Peperon and Miku returned to their happy state of mind, while Hiyama glared at Miku's boyfriend on the other side of the glass. He smiled and waved absentmindedly. Hiyama didn't even know his name, but he could imagine crushing his throat with all of his strength easily. He continued glaring, and when the other man finally got the picture, he turned to the control panel and stared at the glowing lights and pretty buttons.

Peperon-P finally left the room, and headed to sit with Miku's boyfriend. He pressed a button and spoke into a microphone positioned just so. "I'm going to the start the music, in five, four, three two..." He held up one finger, then pressed a button, and on sudden instinct, both robots began singing words that weren't theirs.

"_Kokoro no soko kara, watashi wa eien ni anata o aishite imasu. Dōyō ni eien ni watashi o aishite kudasai!..."_

_ Another love song,_ thought Hiyama. _Why are all good songs love songs? And why are they never true? I would never love Miku... why must Peperon-P-sama do things like this to me?_

Suddenly, Miku hit a note that didn't match at all with the music, and Hiyama cringed. It sounded awful. In fact, the entire song was corny, but they accepted it anyway, because this was all their existence was: to sing whatever was given to them. It was hard, but Hiyama figured this was all he could do at the moment. The letter would go out soon... he wondered when.

Miku's phone began to ring.

Peperon pressed a few buttons, and then leaned into the microphone. "You may answer that, Miku, I've stopped recording. Please turn it off once you are done."

"Yes! I'm sorry, Peperon-sama! So sorry!" She bowed and pulled the little black phone out. She checked the caller-ID, and then growled into the phone, "What the hell do you want, Kaito-san? I told you I would be recording with Peperon-P-sama today!" She paused, and looked over to Hiyama for a single moment. Her eyes flashed away, and she stepped out of the sound booth. As she exited, he could hear her say, "Well, what do you want _me _to do about it?"

Hiyama sat uncomfortably for fifteen minutes as he waited for Miku to finish her phone call. There was an awkward silence between him and Peperon. Miku's boyfriend didn't say anything, period. He just sat there, smiling a dumb smile to himself. Hiyama guessed he wasn't too bright.

Suddenly, Miku closed her phone, stepped into the mixing studio, told Peperon something that Hiyama couldn't hear due to the soundproof glass, bowed, and walked out with her boyfriend. Peperon stared after her for a moment, then turned to Hiyama and spoke into the microphone with a dazed expression.

"Hiyama-sensei, that will be all for today. You may leave now. I'll call you when we can begin recording again. It won't be for a long time, though."

"Peperon-sama, what was that all about?"

"A letter. She refuses to work with you."

_The letter reached them today?_

"I'll speak with you soon, Hiyama-sensei. I'll work with you on another song."

"Thank you." Hiyama got up and left.


	10. Bring Your Own Bombs

Author's Note: I have really been busy gaiz. D: But it's summer now, so I think I'll start getting back in the groove of regular updates. That would also include Americans Sneeze Funny... for those of you that love me and go and check out my other Vocaloid fics. ;D

0o0o0o0o0o0

Two days later and Hiyama was in the same seat he always seemed to take. Around him, he saw the naive Rook, the innocent Lily, the odd Buttnose, and the kind Leon, and Hiyama knew that he belonged here.

"Okay, so things have gone better than expected." Ritsu was smiling, but not in a gentle or loving way. He was smiling because he smelled blood - hypothetically, course. Although each and every single person in the room had a soul, none of them would bleed if cut. To live an eternity in this hell was something they were trying to change.

Kikaito leaned back on the couch, a smirk on his face. "Oh, yeah? Did they accept? Is everything magically fixed now that we have the Populars helping us out?"

Ritsu picked up the closest thing and flung it at Kikaito. Which just so happened to be a book. It landed right in Kikaito's face, and he threw his head back, but somehow managed to keep a hold on his wine glass.

"No, you fool! If you're going to be sarcastic with me, just leave now! They not only declined - they sent a whole letter!"

Lily cried out, "Well, read it then!"

Another said, "Come on, what did they say?"

Ritsu cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of paper with a large gesture.

"'Dear Ritsu Namine-san. We take this letter as a direct threat to those of us in Vocaloid that are often used, especially the large idols, such as Hatsune Miku-san and the Kagamine twins.' Yada yada yada..." Ritsu scanned over the letter and found a place to continue. "'We will not help you with your self-advertisements. We do, infact take this as a threat.' Yada yada yada, we're wiping our asses with your letter, blah blah blah... 'Sincerely, Popular Vocaloids.' Yep. That was the entire letter, basically. They're being really angry about it. Unfortunately, it hasn't leaked to Nico Nico Douga or 4chan, but I'm sure it will."

Leon stepped up. "So, that means, we start working on the commercials. Leave nothing out, guys. This is controversial. They're controversial. We gotta shock the world into seeing us."

Rook stood up. He had obviously had a little too much of the wine. His words slurred. "Gaiz. Seriously. We're doing awesome. Just... work hard! I'm sooo prrrooouud of you aaaalll uhhh..."

Hiyama sighed. "Sit down, Rook."

"Mmmkaaaaaaay." Rook took that as an opportunity to fall straight on his butt with a loud thud.

"If there's anything anyone needs, contact me. If you are needed to help in a commercial, you'll be contacted. Good night everyone."

After they were all leaving, Hiyama was driving Yuki home to her adopted parents. Yuki asked him, "Hiyama-sensei, why did Rook act like that?"

Hiyama found this to be awkward. "Well, you see... he just had a little too much of that bad-tasting grape juice. The stuff you aren't supposed to drink. Because if you drink too much, you get like that. Don't ever drink it." He looked to see Yuki staring out of the windshield.

He smiled. "And hey, you don't have to call me 'Sensei' anymore! Just call me Hiyama-kun, okay?"

"Alright."

Hiyama watched her skip on inside and felt a terrible lonliness. He missed his students, but none as much as Kaai Yuki. He wished he could have children, but he knew that he couldn't. And if he adopted it was likely he would outlive them, which was something no parent ever wanted.

Hiyama missed working with children in general. But he knew that he would get to see his favorite ex-pupil a lot more now that they got to make the commercial. Although, he wasn't even sure if Yuki should even be there. She was so young, and if they did anything to her, he would never forgive himself. It was going to start getting nasty soon.


	11. House Guest

Hiyama stared at a blank page on his computer. He knew his eyes were bloodshot. He rubbed them and looked over at the time.

"Three AM... damn..." He mumbled to himself.

He looked back over at the screen and gently laid his head down on the keyboard. He closed his eyes and felt his brain drifting off with the thoughts of the commercial he was to direct.

He had a nice image in his mind but when he tried to type it out, he felt it came out corny or silly. His brain was buzzing as he heard a knock at the door of his bedroom.

Looking up, confused, he closed his laptop and opened the door. Yuki looked up at him and grinned. Behind her, his apartment was burning. He felt ice run up his spine as he stared at what little he owned go up in flames. Yuki turned around to look as well, and screamed.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, but Hiyama was traveling slower than everything else. He reached out to pull her back but she darted into the flames, panicking. His feet felt glued to the ground as he tried to go after her. He was forced to sit there and stare as he watched her artificial skin peel back and her gears and circuit boards melt together. She emitted noises like a dial-up computer, then nails against a chalkboard, then a loud, screeching "ERROR!" on repeat, over top of the crackling of his house burning.

He felt his own body becoming overheated as her hair caught fire and her entire head was consumed by the flames. He began to scratch at his own face as if a bug were under his skin, tearing at his flesh. He would rather die than watch this. He felt blood drip down his face, but he didn't have blood, did he...?

He drew back and looked at his hands. They were covered in blood. Red, warm, moist blood. He began to cry, something else he couldn't do. He sobbed and cried as the last of Yuki melted down into the burning carpet. Then the flames crept over to him, determined to turn him into a graceful, burning phoenix. Yes, that's what he thought of it. A burning phoenix. He would be reborn from the ashes and fly high over the heads of the others, his feathers glistening in the sun of a new day.

As his clothes lit up, he smiled to himself. A phoenix, something beautiful... For once, he would be beautiful.

Hiyama jumped as the phone began to ring. He looked up at the clock on his screen and saw that it was only 3:40 AM. He yawned and picked up the phone, still slightly shaken. The phone number displayed on the caller ID looked familiar, but he couldn't place it, but he decided to answer anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hiyama-sensei! Oh god!" It was Buttnose, who was sobbing viciously.

"Buttnose? What's wrong? Why are you so upset this late?"

"My boyfriend kicked me out! I have nowhere to stay. Can I stay with you?"

Hiyama knew what this meant. He was going to have a spastic Fan Made in his house. He remained silent.

"Please, Hiyama-sensei! _Please!_ I've already asked everyone else I know and none of them answered!"

That settled it. Hiyama sighed. "Alright, Buttnose. Do you have a car?"

"No..."

"Okay... Where are you?"

"I don't know..."

Hiyama scratched his eye and yawned again. "Where are you near?"

"I don't know... A McDonald's? Um... There's a KFC here, too."

"Are you anywhere close to Tokyo Mall?"

"I don't know..." There was a slight shuffling sound. "Yeah, I see it."

"Alright. Go in there and stay warm. I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll be in the dark gray Nissan Altima."

"Thank you so much Hiyama-sensei!" With that, she hung up, and Hiyama blinked a few times tiredly. He looked down at the laptop and decided that he was going to regret this.

He pulled on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, hopped into his Nissan, and drove out to Tokyo Mall, where he found Buttnose in the food court. She was talking and crying all the way to his home, but he was still so tired that he didn't really understand anything, nor did he care to know.

When they pulled in, he led her in and gestured to the couch. "I'm sorry, you're going to have to - "

Buttnose ran past him into the bedroom. He blinked a few times. She said something like, "I claim the bed" and he sighed. He didn't really mind at this point. All he needed was a horizontal position to sleep at this point. he just called out, "Good night, Buttnose," and plopped down on the couch. He rested his head on an end pillow, turned around to face the back of the sofa, and drifted off into a fitful bout of sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The next day was a meeting day. A Thursday, in fact. It seemed to pass by quickly. The only thing of importance to him was that it was discussed that he needed to use more Fan Mades in his commercial, which meant Yuki wouldn't be in the commercial at all. Instead, Kuro Kitsunein would be portrayed as a popular kid who would then bully Momo Momone.

When the meeting was adjourned, Hiyama was having a few words with Lily, when Buttnose popped up beside him. "Hey! Ready to go?"

Startled, he blinked a few times, then said, "Yeah, go on out to the car. I'll be out in a few."

"Okay!" And she skipped on out of Ritsu's apartment, leaving Hiyama cherry-red.

Lily's eyebrows were pressed together, and she frowned. "Are you giving her a ride? That's nice."

"Actually, she's staying at my place for a while..." His eyes traveled to his feet.

Lily's eyebrows then raised. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Her boyfriend broke up with her... She didn't have anywhere else to go."

"Ah. I... ah, see. Well, I need to get going. I'll see you next time."

"Yeah."

Lily set her drink down and left, leaving a resounding echo of a slamming door in the wake of who was left. Ritsu came over to Hiyama and put his arm around his shoulder. He smiled and said, "She totally digs you, man."

"I don't think she digs me anymore."

Ritsu glanced at him, shocked. "What? Why?"

"I just told her that Buttnose is staying at my place."

"_Buttnose? Why the hell are you letting Buttnose into your place?_"

"Her boyfriend broke up with her and nobody else would give her a place. I couldn't help it, okay?"

Ritsu sighed. "And now Lily thinks you all are...?"

"I guess."

"Tch... women. I am once again reminded why I hate them." Ritsu shook his head.

Hiyama glared at him. "If you hate them, why do you dress like one?"

"Well I don't have much of a choice, do I? I was engineered with a penis and breasts. Which is easier to conceal?"

Hiyama inwardly sighed. His friends all had so many problems.


	12. Preparations

After a few weeks, everyone had gotten their things organized, and filming on the commercials had all started on the same day. Hiyama had managed to speak to his former bosses and was allowed the school for a small amount of time after hours. He had only needed a few people, mainly Momo Momone and Kuro Kitsunein, but Buttnose had tagged along, and Teto had showed up to cheer on her friend.

Kuro Kitsunein was a tall, lanky built young man, with dark hair and glowing red eyes. Hiyama sensed a young Rook in this one, seeing as he had barely hustled in on time, Ritsu hustling in behind him.

Hiyama smirked and whispered, "You're late."

Ritsu gave him a death glare and said, "I just got back from the American filming. You have no idea what their language sounds like."

"Actually, I do."

"Shut up and get to it."

Hiyama rolled his eyes and pulled out the camera Ritsu had appointed him. "Ok, I assume you guys know your lines?"

Buttnose hopped in front of his face, peering into the camera. "What do I get to do, Hiyama-kun?"

He sighed. "Go sit down, Buttnose, you're just watching."

"Awwww..." She took a seat against the green metal lockers in the hallways they were filming.

Kuro nodded. "First thing we do is she's standing here at a locker, and I come over and beat her up, right?"

Hiyama saw the fright in Momo's eyes and he replied, "You're going to _pretend_ to beat her up. You actually hurt her and I can get you off this project in a heart beat. Right, Ritsu?"

Ritsu was leaning against the lockers next to Buttnose, picking at a fingernail. He looked up upon mention of his name, and mutely nodded. Hiyama nodded again and turned to Kuro.

"You know what we do after that, right?"

Momo spoke up. "We introduce ourselves in a normal setting, while Kuro isn't pretending to hurt me, and we talk about how what he just did to me is basically what the Populars are doing to us. And then we tell them that they can support us by downloading our voice banks!"

Hiyama tipped his head back. "And that you can buy Unpopulars' software, or even just listen to our songs." He hesitated. "This probably would have worked better in the American version, but you can also point out that you sang Nyanyanyanya! that was put into that viral Nyan Cat video."

Momo bowed. "Of course, Hiyama-kun."

Recording went smoothly, and the camera was put in Ritsu's hands to take home and edit. Hiyama was confident that Ritsu could handle the work, seeing as he had nothing else to focus on.

Ritsu had been most popular a few years back, when people first heard his version of Eternal Force Blizzard, and how the fans first got the shock that he was in fact a male. After that, Ritsu Namine faded out of the spotlight, like the others. That is, if they ever got their spotlight to begin with. Some were like Kuro Kitsunein, abandoned even by their own authors.

The next meeting they had, about two weeks later, they were watching several different commercials that were officially going to be put on air within the next month. When asked in private how Ritsu could get them approved so easily, Ritsu simply replied, "I know a guy."

In the following weeks, there were more and more meetings, sometimes several times a week, and Hiyama always found himself sitting either alone or beside Buttnose. Most of the time he peeked over to see Lily enjoying a nice laugh with Kikaito, that damned blond.

Hiyama would then think about himself. Was it his image, or was it just the fact that Buttnose now clung to him like a dog on a steak? Maybe he just wasn't as nice or funny as he thought he was. Looking over, Buttnose was oblivious to anything Hiyama might be doing.

After the meeting the day before the commercials were going to be put on air, Hiyama pulled Ritsu aside and talked to him about his issues. Ritsu just scoffed.

"Hiyama-kun, you just need to get out more."

"It's more than that!" Hiyama felt his arms flail around in a pathetic attempt at expressing what was on his mind. "I just... I don't think that will solve anything!"

Ritsu rolled his eyes and smiled. He looked around the room, muttered, "Like hell it won't," and stepped up to Rook. "Hey, Rook, you wanna go bowling with Hiyama and I tomorrow?"

Rook was taken back. He glanced over at Hiyama, who sighed, aggravated. He glanced back down at Ritsu and shrugged. "I guess, I don't really have anything planned tomorrow."

"Excellent. We'll meet you at Shichi's Alleys at noon."

Rook gave a hearty thumbs up and trotted on out. Hiyama stalked behind Ritsu and hissed, "What about Buttnose? What am I gonna do about her?"

"Can't you just leave her alone in your house or something? It's not like she's gonna pee on the furniture."

"No, but she'll want to tag along, and what am I gonna do about that? I can't just tell her no, and she won't understand anything else."

"I dunno. Go make her some friends so she can be doing something, too." Ritsu waved him off.

Hiyama decided he had to smooth talk his way out of this situation. Calmly walking over to Buttnose, he asked quietly, "Buttnose, do you think it's time for you to get out and start doing some things on your own?"

Buttnose tilted her head. "What?"

_Nice going, smooth one._ "I mean, it's been, what, two months now? I think you deserve a girl's day out."

He could sense her smile behind her mask as she lifted her interlaced fingers under her chin and lifted one leg in delight. "Oh, Hiyama, it would be darling to go out on a girl's day out with you! But you're not a girl."

Hiyama's eye twitched. "No, I'm not a girl, Buttnose. Do you have any girl friends who you could go out with... I don't know... tomorrow? I know you're not busy."

Buttnose put one finger to her chin. "Hmm... I bet Amane Ann would love to go to the mall with me!"

"Yeah!" Hiyama smiled, happy that, through this incident, he could get Buttnose on her way to being an up-and-functioning person. "When do you think you'll be leaving? I think noon would be best, or at least, that's what I've always thought. It's not too early, not too late. Just right." He chuckled nervously.

"Hmm... I'll try for noon, then. Thank you, Hiyama-kun!"

"Oh, it's no problem." Hiyama smiled. He felt good about himself, though he didn't exactly know why


	13. The Times, They Are Changing

Hiyama's ears hurt, listening to the blasting music bursting from the speakers in the ceiling. The room was dark except for some black lights and flashing neon beams traveling around the room. Women and men danced together on a lighted dance floor, a separate mini-bar was found in the back, and the actual bowling was to the left.

Hiyama turned to Ritsu, who was sitting down, waiting for Rook to finish his turn bowling, and screamed, "Why are we here, again?"

Ritsu placed a cupped hand to his ear. "What? I can't hear you!"

"Why are we here!"

"What!"

"WHY ARE WE HERE, DAMNIT!"

Ritsu sat back and smiled. "Oh, right. I thought it was a nice joint. Plenty of hot dudes. Or, what you'd care about, hot women."

"I'm not interested in hot women!"

Rook plopped down next to Hiyama. "Oh? I didn't know you swung that way, Hiyama-kun!"

Ritsu laughed, getting up to bowl, leaving the two.

Rook put one arm around Hiyama. Hiyama pushed him away. "Rook, I'm straight, damn you! I mean I'm not interested in any of the women here!" Hiyama took one slow, judgmental glance to the dance floor, looking at all of the skinny women with their breasts hanging out and their asses coming out of their shorts. "They all look like whores. Who goes to a bowling alley to dance, anyway?"

Rook smiled. "Ahhh... That means Hiyama-kun has a crush!"

Hiyama felt himself blush brightly, but knew that in the lighting they were in, Rook wouldn't be able to tell. He gave his stern teacher-glare and declared, "I'm busy with our popularity campaign right now, and after we achieved popularity, I will go and focus on finding myself a girlfriend!"

Rook came back and threw himself down next to Hiyama, laughing. "That's not what it looks like when I see you going googly-eyed at Lily, and then getting all mad looking when she's talking with Kikaito!"

Hiyama punched him in the shoulder and stood up to take his turn. When he came back, three champagne glasses were standing tall on the table in front of him. Ritsu picked one up, Rook picked the other one up, and Ritsu announced, "We've taken our first large public step towards getting ourselves acknowledged. How does that make you feel, gentlemen?"

Rook smiled a crooked smile. "Makes me feel goddamn poetic, Ritsu."

Ritsu held his drink up. "Then let's drink." Hiyama picked his own champagne flute and held it up to Rook's and Ritsu's. "A toast, to popularity!"

They clinked their glasses together, and Hiyama took a satisfying sip. Rook and Ritsu drained theirs, and, watching them, drained his as well. It was a good afternoon to be alive. Err... Functioning.

* * *

Later that night, as Buttnose sat watching the evening news, Hiyama sat down beside her. "So, Buttnose, how was your girl's day out? Get anything new?"

Buttnose sighed. "Not really. It's not like I have a job, I don't have a whole lot of money saved up, but what I do, I'm unwilling to spend."

"Hmm. What are you saving up for?"

Buttnose turned to him, and he could feel that smiled again. "Can't tell!" She giggled. "I had a good time anyway, though. Ann and I must have gone into a bajillion stores!"

"A bajillion?" Hiyama chuckled. "Nice. Well, I'm glad your day went well."

Buttnose nodded and turned back to the TV. Suddenly, she pointed and gasped. "It's our commercial!"

Hiyama turned and watched as their work rolled through the screen, and he felt oddly proud. Hiyama smiled. "Well, it's the beginning of change, Buttnose. Maybe you'll get that money for whatever it is you're saving for soon. Who knows?"

Buttnose sighed dreamily. "Yeah. Who knows?"


	14. Attack in the Dark

It was late in the night. Ritsu's bedroom was curtained in darkness as the night would have it, and not a single sound was heard. Ritsu was sleeping peacefully, in his nightclothes, a pair of very tiny shorts and a cami shirt. His long auburn hair tied into a bun on the top of his head, he had not a care in the world.

It was only a few days after the commercials had been launched, and already, the main stars of the commercials were getting their voicebanks downloaded, and their songs both on Nico Nico Douga and YouTube were getting more and more hits. He was satisfied for the time being, but soon enough, they'd have to make a move to de-throne the Populars.

Being as his dreams were happy and he had no worries, he didn't hear the faint clicking noise of the front door to his apartment being picked. With a small snap, the lock inside broke, and in walked a young girl with long, flowing, gray hair. With a turn, his bedroom door was opened, and she stepped inside, not hesitating, a screwdriver held in the palm of her right hand, she looked at the young man.

"Ritsu. Namine Ritsu." She shook her head and giggled. "What a disgrace." She stepped forward, next to the sleeping figure of Ritsu. He was lying on his back, leaving some of the screws attaching his head open and vulnerable. She was aware of his immense weight, and knew that this was the only way to get what she wanted.

Revenge.

She began unscrewing one of the screws on his neck. It made a small scraping sound, but she paid no mind. Before he realized what had happened, it would be too late, and the prize would be hers. She grinned a blood-thirsty smile and twirled the screwdriver faster.

Ritsu's eyes flew open. Before him stood the figure of Tei Sukone. Startled, he jumped to his feet, not knowing exactly what was happening. He lunged forwards toward her, yelling. She dodged, tossing the screwdriver aside, and took out her signature butcher knife, hidden in her oversized arm warmers. It was her turn to lunge forward, and with the stealth of a ninja, she tore open his shirt and left a dent in his stomach.

He felt the delicate wires inside of him, and he twisted one arm around his waist. She tried to attack him again, but he dived underneath her and pulled her legs out from under her, almost pulling off one of her boots. She grunted, trying to pull forward to smack him on the head with the butcher knife, but he knocked it from her hand and pinned her to the ground.

"Who sent you here!?" He rumbled.

Tei growled. "You did! You must die!" She squirmed and yelled, "DIE!"

Ritsu didn't budge. The nuclear weapons concealed in his chest weighed him down enough to keep her pinned, no matter how much she tried to budge. "You're always trying to take down Miku, why would you attack me? I'm trying to help you, and every other UTAU damned to this same fate!"

From behind him, he heard a voice. "You're going to hurt her precious Len-kun. Why would she not kill you?" With that, he was clubbed in the right side of his head, damaging his artificial brain, and causing him to pass out.

Teto stepped out from the shadows. Tei growled again, like a trapped animal. Luckily, he had fallen to the side, and she was free to move. She rolled onto her hands and knees, mumbling, "Where's that screwdriver...?"

Teto shook her head and stated flatly, "We've done enough damage. Leave him."

Tei snarled. "No! We must finish the job!"

Teto raised an eyebrow. "Neighbors may be coming by soon. We don't want to be caught here. Hopefully he'll reconsider his stance on his little project." Just as Tei reclaimed the screwdriver, she pulled her up from the ground, and they made their silent escape


	15. Rising Up

Hiyama had been with Peperon-P-sama, working on a new song, as had been promised several weeks earlier. It was more orchestral, something Peperon-sama knew that Hiyama liked. They were on their fourth run-through of the melody when Hiyama's phone began to ring loudly.

Peperon-sama gave him an aggravated look. He scrunched his eyebrows and flipped off all of his recording devices. Hiyama bowed and walked stiffly out, glancing at his phone. It was the house, so it had to be Buttnose. He swiftly answered the phone, peeking back at Peperon-sama, listening to what had been recorded.

"Buttnose, is this an emergency? If you're calling because there's a spider in the tub, then- "

"Hiyama, Ritsu was attacked last night! His neighbors called the house just a few minutes ago. His head's dented in, and they can't wake him up!" She paused in her hysteria. "They also still think he's a girl."

A shock ran down Hiyama's artificial spine. This couldn't happen. Not now. Not yet. "Ok, Buttnose, I'm going to pick you up in a few minutes. Then we're heading over to Ritsu's apartment. I want you to be strong, ok? As long as his brain isn't too rattled, it should be fixable. He'll be fine, alright?"

He heard a small rattling on the other side of the phone, and a faint, "Yeah. I'll be here."

"Alright. Bye." He closed the phone and stuck his head in Peperon-sama's side of the sound booth. "There's been an emergency. One of my colleagues has been injured. I have to go see him. I'm sorry."

Peperon-sama just raised his eyebrows. "Who is it?"

"Ritsu Namine."

"If you don't mind my asking, does this have to do with that letter Miku-san mentioned that time?"

Hiyama sighed. "Most likely, yes. You've seen the commercials, yes? With the UTAU?"

"Ah, yes! Momo's gathered quite a following, hasn't she?"

"Yes, well, that's a part of the letter. Ritsu is the leader of all the UTAU and the Unpopulars. We're trying to get more recognition than the Populars."

"Wait, what?"

"Listen, I need to go, Ritsu is in trouble. Just know that it was probably an attack from the popular Vocaloids, like Miku-san."

Peperon-sama nodded. "Godspeed, Hiyama-kun."

Hiyama nodded and rushed out.

He flew on his way over to his house. Buttnose was standing on the porch again, but he couldn't tell what exactly she felt behind her mask. As she climbed in, he blankly asked, "Did you lock the doors?"

She nodded, and he noticed a few tears slip out from under the mask, and land gracefully on the seat. He bit his bottom lip and felt it quiver, but he couldn't cry, not when he didn't know what Ritsu's full condition was. He could be either near-death, or he could only require a few days of rest. Hiyama was sure that if it was serious, he could get him into Yamaha's repair section with some persuasion.

The drive, compared to the drive to his home, seemed to take forever. The thoughts swirling in his head, what he'd have to do next, who he'd need to contact, and the fact that Ritsu could possibly be irreparable or have permanent damage for the rest of his life all frightened him. He assumed, since he and Ritsu were close friends and he had a certain amount of authority over the group, he'd be taking charge in Ritsu's absence. That frightened him even more.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short. ono But I hope y'all liked the sudden twist. I know I did.**


	16. Diagnosis

The apartment was in its normal state; nothing had been touched except for the locks and the auburn-haired boy lying on the bedroom floor, part of his head dented in. Hiyama and Buttnose looked around incredulously, and Buttnose turned to Hiyama, sniffling. "What kind of monster would do this? Why would they want to hurt Ritsu?"

Hiyama grimaced, only shaking his head. He knew exactly what kind of monster would do this, and she had been drinking a Coca-Cola in Peperon-sama's recording studio a few weeks prior. But, no, she wasn't large enough to fend off Ritsu like this. It was probably Kaito or Gakupo that had attacked Ritsu, or perhaps both.

The two neighbors stood in the living room, talking with a large Japanese cop who was balding. He seemed distressed, occassionally rubbing the shiny spot on top of his head. Hiyama cleared his throught, and the cop turned around to make eye contact.

"Were you the one these nice folks called?"

Buttnose squeaked, "Yes."

The officer turned to face them fully, the neighbors (a man in a robe and a woman in a night gown and curlers) glanced at them, seemingly frightened; Hiyama wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that they were machines or that there was a break-in next door. The officer gestured around them and said, "Do you have any idea if anything's gone?"

Hiyama took one last good look around. "I don't think anything's missing. Nothing that I know of."

"And how well did you know the victim?"

_Did? _"I'm pretty much his best friend."

The neighbors behind the officer looked at each other and began to whisper. The officer turned around and then back at Hiyama. "I... see..." He had a well-trained blank expression on his face. "Well, do you have any idea how to treat the victim? Our EMT was here a few minutes ago and said something along the lines of, 'Damnit Hiro-san, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic!'"

Hiyama nodded. "Alright, first I'll take a look at him and see just how bad the damage is. If it's really bad, I can probably get him into Yamaha. Otherwise, I can probably fix him up."

The officer's eyebrows pulled together. "Eh, what about the, er..." He knocked on his head, referring to the dent.

"Our bodies naturally fix dents like that. What I'm concerned about is the wiring and technology in the head, which is equivalent to that of a human brain. I have to make sure none of that's damaged."

The officer nodded, and the group of five walked into the bedroom, hesitant to touch anything. Hiyama kneeled beside Ritsu, whose dent was visibly smaller. He then looked around and asked, "Is there a screw driver anywhere?"

The officer nodded and left to look for a tool box.

Hiyama took a closer look at Ritsu. He noted that one of the screws from his neck was missing. He searched the ground and found it just a few feet away, and just as he put it in his pocket, the officer returned with a screw driver.

"So, just what are you going to do?"

Hiyama began unwinding the other screws holding Ritsu's head on. "I'm going to take a look inside his head and if anything's damaged, try and fix him up, reboot him, and see what he says. As a sort of precautionary measurement, he should have the last five minutes saved into his brain so he can recount what happened."

The officer nodded, and Hiyama continued in silence, save for a few little sniffles from Buttnose.

Eventually, he managed to get Ritsu's head off, and the nieghbors looked like they would be sick when they saw a large disc made of computer chips. Hiyama rested Ritsu's head upside down on the carpet, and he unscrewed the disc. He gently pulled it out, wires of all kinds of colors attached neatly. Hiyama peered in, noticing two of the smallest wires on the side of the dent were pulled out.

The officer kneeled down beside Hiyama. "Is it bad?"

Hiyama smiled. "Not at all. He just has two wires disconnected. Buttnose, do you have any tweezers?"

She sniffed. "No..."

"How about you, officer?"

He only raised an eyebrow.

Hiyama rolled his eyes and looked back at Ritsu's neighbors. "What about you?"

The wife, pale and ghostly in her nightrobe, choked out, "Yes, I'll be back."

Hiyama turned and sat down with his back to the bed. He looked up at the man. He was shivering in his robe, sickened at the sight of Ritsu's head off his shoulders. Hiyama, feeling tricky, asked, "So, how long have you known Ritsu?"

"We didn't know her..." He swallowed. "Him... At all, apparently. We've been neighbors for a few months."

"Demons are after him. They've been after him for years."

"D-Demons?"

"Yeah." Hiyama's voice dropped and he began very grave-sounding. "I'd watch your back if I were you. If people come asking about Ritsu, run away, sacrifice a chicken that night, and a toad for ten more days. The last neighbor didn't follow instructions."

The woman came back, tweezers in hand. She took one look at her husband, handed her tweezers over to Hiyama, and led her husband out into the living room.

The officer turned to face Hiyama. "What was that about?"

Hiyama chuckled. "Just a bit of fun. Lightens my mood, makes it easier for me to do this. It's harmless." He bent over again and added, "Unless you're a chicken or toad."


End file.
